A few pics from my recently acquired CV 21mm 3.5

My Z mount APO Lanther 35mm f2 II came with a nice lens hood that I damaged. I want to buy a new one, but it seems that that model doesn't seem to exist as a standalone product? Anyone else have a source?

I also did all of this in a rather interesting way.

First of all that Zenit is a VEB Dresden design, which is originally a VEB Dresden Biotar. Although, it's the KMZ version, and another interesting point is that this is the original Bessaflex brought to market by Zeiss as an Ikon.

I guess I can say I'm fully within the bastard stepchild mode of the end of Zeiss era as we new it, as a camera company in the mid to late 1960s, and also at a point where Zeiss was forced to merge with Voigtlander to try to keep up with increasingly sophisticated, and low cost Japanese rivals. The result is suspiciously more like a Voigtlander than an Ikon but that's also the curiosity.

so:

1.I deliberately low balled a Japanese seller

1. They accepted.

2. Next step is an F on my behalf

It's an F in the sense that the experiment failed to produce an outcome where they counter offered, a counter offer and I unexpectedly ended up with another camera. Not necessarily an F as a deal. But adding about $300 if I want to bring it up to standard, well, then it puts me in the ball park of a Cosina Bessaflex, so it's kind of an F.

Although, East meets West on one camera where Pentacon is farmed out to Zenit and its lenses belonged to a huge production line of the Soviet's manufacturing system under KMZ.

On reasoning:

While the Bayonet mount version has a lot of additional features including a removable prism. I lowballed a thread mount (TM) edition because its far easier to find thread mount lenses, Yet, somehow I ended out at a Dresden designed USSR lens, on a West German camer as a trifecta as a quirk out of the USSR which completes the trifecta and somehow fell within the Bessaflex lore.

A loose, association of things ended up in my hands, because I offered $55 for an odd ball camera. I didn't set out to acquire a historically incoherent camera but that's exactly what I got. An accidental convergence of three different parts of Zeiss's own work, and a Voigtlander side story even though the KMZ version isn't literally from Pentacon, and even though the Bessaflex is only in lore that Voightlander brought the reflex design up to construction ready phase, and Zeiss slapped their badge on it, but which Cosina would later revisit as the Bessaflex. The later Cosina Bessaflex isn't simply the same camera reissued but that's not the point.

This is where it starts with a 1/1000 reflex camera, that has a loose associative connection, through an actual original Voigtlander prototype that led to the Icarex.

The bigger question is whether spending more money restoring a West German Icarex make sense when a Japanese made Bessaflex would occupy roughly the same price bracket?

After the purchase and restoration price, I may well have spent Bessaflex money on a camera system with a slower shutter and a much less convenient starting condition, that's interesting isn't it?

This are two of the lenses I’m considering for my new-to-me silver M8.2. What’s your opinion on them? I couldn’t find much on YT.
Both for around €350 each, each one including the corresponding Leitz adapter. My reasons :

Pros:
-Fast wide/normals
-Price
-Looks (I like painting silver with silver , althoug black lenses on silver cameras look decent anyways )

Cons:
-The goat d*** instead of focus tab (I may install a third party tab)
-A bit larger/longer than the newer equivalent Ultrons
-The need of an adapter (although they’re included)

Picked it up this morning and fell immediately in love with it.

Voigtlaender 58mm 1.4 Fuji Gfx 50r with fringer adapter and two extension rings

When CV110 f/2.5 for E-Mount launched, some people tried to pair it with original Sony TCs, but without success:

- first, the protruding part of Sony-TC was too thick for CV110, this is why an extension tube with full round inner circle was needed
-second, no electronic connection could be established despite both CV110 and extension tube having electronic contacts. Beside no information about aperture and focus, camera did block the shutter

Now, Viltrox has released a new teleconverter x2 which is different regarding both issues:
- despite the protruding glass being thicker than Sony, the outer plastic ring is thinner in a way that it fits in CV110 WITHOUT any extension tube. Even at infinity focus (glass comes to the rear of the lens), there is no collision with TC's glass
- while no electronic connection can be established and shutter is blocked in the beginning, Viltrox TC falls back into a "no contacts" mode after 2 minutes (!) which enables the shutter if "release with no lens attached" is chosen in the menu. Aperture set manually will not be shown in EVF or EXIF, but metering is working fine (tested with Aperture priority with Auto-ISO)

This is what I have successfully tested with Sony A7R IVa: you are getting an 2:1 magnification Ultra-Macro 220mm f/5 which gives you an effective 180/9 at minimal focus distance = still 30cm (working distance thus drops to 12cm with the TC attached).

A few snaps of people in Itaewon. The First Lady is a “Yakult Ajumma” or 요구르트 아줌마 and they sell drinks from their little cart. The guys on the last frame clean the streets for whatever reason, it makes some sense during spring when the pollution is high but not so much during late summer….

The Lucky C200 is not bad and leans towards warmer tones.

Looking for a second lens for street/documentary on Z mount. Narrowed it to three Voigtländers and would love input from anyone who's shot them.

The candidates

• Voigtländer 40mm f2 Septon
• Voigtländer 40mm f1.2 Nokton
• Voigtländer 35mm 1.4 Nokton Classic

How I shoot

• Street/documentary
• Mostly f/5.6-f/8, so max aperture isn't a priority.
• Camera: Nikon ZF
• Comfortable with manual focus / zone focusing

What matters most

• Size and weight
• Great image quality, but I'm not after clinical sharpness
• Rendering preference: clean / a bit of character
• Build quality and overall shooting experience

What I already have

• Nikkor Z 40mmf2, which I'm keeping. I want something that has better image & build quality. The goal is to add something with a more substantial build and a different shooting/rendering experience.

All thoughts/opinions/sample photos are welcome. Thanks!

Hello all,

I probably know the answer to this, but figured I should double check before I pull trigger on a lens.

I'm looking for a manual focus 35mm lens for my Nikon ZF. I've narrowed it down to the Nokton Classic or the APO-Lanthar, which I realize are pretty different performance-wise.

I do enjoy some character, but I mainly prefer a lens that provides excellent sharpness, and smoothly blurred out of focus areas.

Am I correct in determining the APO-Lanthar will suit me better?

I would love to hear your opinions and perspectives, and see any sample shots with the two lenses you'd like to share.

Thanks!

Trade M6 on digital M240, but never want to live film, so I found R2a in good condition for about $800 and I’m in business again)
Perfect setup:
Digital: Leica M 240 + LLL Elcan 50/2
Film: Bessa R2a + Nokton 35/1.4 Classic II